Stephen King Reacts to Florida Ban on 23 of His Books

Stephen King's books are banned in Florida under H.B. 1069, prompting six major publishers to appeal, arguing for students' access to diverse educational content.

on Sep 04, 2024

Stephen King had just three words in reply to a report that 23 of his books had been banned from school libraries in Florida. Six major book publishers have banded together to appeal the ban.

In 2022, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law a far-reaching measure to remove books deemed to contain sexually explicit material amid complaints from the conservative group Moms for Liberty.

The law has been in practice since this July 2023 and has resulted in the removal of profound classics from elementary, middle, and high school libraries; an example would be Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. Even non-fiction books have fallen under the ban, for example, a book titled The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank.

Somewhat ironically, some of these banned King novels include Carrie, It, The Gunslinger, The Running Man, and The Long Walk.

As news broke about the ban, outspoken and politically opinionated King reacted via Twitter in saying, "Florida has banned 23 of my books. What the f***?"

Joining the suit are major book publishers Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, Macmillan Publishers and Sourcebooks, all against the "sweeping book removal provisions" of House Bill 1069.

"H.B. 1069 forces school librarians to remove books that contain anything that can be interpreted as 'sexual conduct,' without any consideration of the educational value of the work as a whole. If a parent or county resident objects to a book, the book must be removed within five days and stay unavailable until the objection is resolved. There is no requirement to review a book in a reasonable time—let alone to return it if it has been found not to violate the statute. ***. If a book is returned to the library, an objector may request a review by a state-appointed special magistrate at the school district's expense." the publisher states.

The publishers add, "Students need access to books that reflect a wide range of human experiences to learn and grow. It is essential to the education of our young people that teachers and librarians be allowed to use their professional judgment to match our authors' books to the right reader at the right time in their life."

Already, Sydney Booker, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Education, has dismissed the publisher's lawsuit as a 'stunt' because banned books do not exist in Florida, adding that "sexually explicit material and instruction are not suitable for schools."